Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems

Essential English Vocabulary and Phrases

Common Phrasal Verbs

• Stay on: To continue in a place, position, or situation.
• Save up: To accumulate money for future use.
• Look up: To search for something on the internet or in a book.
• Look up to: To admire someone or something.

Money and Education

• Earning money: Getting money for work that you do.
• Allowance: An amount of money given regularly.
• Changed my mind: Had a change of opinion.
• Encourage: To inspire or motivate.
• Skip: To avoid going to; to miss.
• Immediately: Straight away.
• Career: A chosen pursuit; a profession or occupation.
• Degree: An academic title conferred by universities and colleges upon completion of studies, or as an honorary recognition of achievement.
• A-level: Exams which students in England and

Waterfall Methodology

Waterfall Methodology is used by most federal and state agencies and businesses that rely on these agencies. It is also used by the vast majority of projects that are not software-centric. It utilizes a phased and structured approach to software development. It assumes every requirement of a project can be identified before design and coding begins. It tells the team's developers everything that needs to be in the software before it is up and running. It follows a waterfall approach. Development teams only have one chance to get each aspect of a project right.

Steps in Waterfall Methodology

1. Requirements Analysis
2. Design
3. Coding
4. Integration
5. Testing
6. Deployment

Traditional "waterfall" development depends on a perfect understanding of... Continue reading "Waterfall vs. Agile: Choosing the Right Project Management Method" »

Freedom and Human Nature

Humans, though possessing instincts, are not determined by nature. Thanks to our rational capacity, we can choose among a number of possibilities. This capability is known as freedom.

However, certain factors in our behavior do not depend on us. No one chooses their birthplace, gender, or skin color. These are given to us and constitute what Ortega y Gasset called circumstances.

To be free means to be responsible for our actions and accept the consequences of our behavior. Responsibility involves attributing success to our work and accepting failures or errors. If we make a mistake, we must rectify it and accept the punishment.

Moral Norms

A norm is a pattern that governs our behavior, a rule about how we should act. For... Continue reading "Freedom, Responsibility, and Moral Norms: A Philosophical View" »

Benefits of Supplier Partnerships

• Partnering can lead to continuous improvements in key areas such as processes, products, customer-supplier relationships, and customer satisfaction.
• Spreads risks, creates team flexibility, and reduces costs.
• Internal partnering can improve relationships among employees and departments, enhancing competitiveness.

Mandatory Requirements of Supplier Partnerships

1. Supplier and buyer personnel who use the products should meet to identify and implement necessary improvements.
2. Negotiations should focus on achieving the optimal deal considering price, features, quality, and delivery, rather than solely on price.
3. The supplier's quality process should guarantee product quality, eliminating the buyer's need for inspections.
4. The

Track Release Time Procedures

When reporting track release time, ensure the following details are communicated:

• Location being reported past or Track Warrant (TW) limits that were released.
• Time Track Warrant (TW) was partially released.
• Question: “Is that correct, over?”

Overlap Circuit Management

When a report is received, or the Train Dispatcher (TD) becomes aware a train has passed an overlap circuit without permission:

• Advise the train involved to stop and remain stopped until further instructions are received from the Chief Dispatcher (CD).
• Immediately notify the Chief Dispatcher (CD).

Contingent Authority Issuance

Do not issue Track Warrant (TW) authority contingent upon a condition. Issue authority only after any authorized train movement... Continue reading "Essential Railway Operating Procedures for Safety" »

Distributed Data Processing Concepts

Centralizing Data in Distributed Systems

How Data is Centralized in DDP

The data is stored centrally but updated or processed at the local (remote) site. Data is retrieved from the centralized data store, processed locally, and then sent back to the centralized data store.

Centralizing Standards in DDP Environments

Importance of Centralized Standards

The relatively poor control environment imposed by the Distributed Data Processing (DDP) model can be improved by establishing some central guidance. The corporate group can contribute to this goal by establishing and distributing appropriate standards for systems development, programming, and documentation to user areas.

Disaster Recovery Strategies

Key Methods for

A Story of Contrasts

The film Witness, directed by Peter Weir, effectively portrays several distinct ideas, including the cultural clash between the Amish and modern society, the romance between the two protagonists, and the theme of good versus evil, highlighting corruption within the police force. These central themes, combined with effective cinematic elements, justify the film's status as a memorable cinematic experience.

The Amish and the Modern World

Witness is a thriller centered on the Amish community living in Pennsylvania. A young Amish boy, Samuel, and his widowed mother, Rachel, become caught in a clash between two worlds: the modern American society, marked by greed, violence, and corruption, and the peaceful Amish world, focused... Continue reading "Witness: A Cultural Clash and Timeless Romance" »

Reported Speech Tense Changes

Present Simple

Direct: He works as an editor.

Reported: She said that he worked as an editor.

Present Continuous

Direct: He is working as an editor.

Reported: She said that he was working as an editor.

Past Simple

Direct: He worked as an editor.

Reported: She said that he had worked as an editor.

Past Continuous

Direct: He was working as an editor.

Reported: She said that he had been working as an editor.

Present Perfect Simple

Direct: He has worked as an editor.

Reported: She said that he had worked as an editor.

Present Perfect Continuous

Direct: He has been working as an editor.

Reported: She said that he had been working as an editor.

Past Perfect Simple

Direct: He had worked as an editor.

Reported: She said that he had worked... Continue reading "English Grammar Transformations" »

Educational Challenges in Spain

Nowadays in Spain, there is an educational problem. Most people do not continue with their studies, and 50% of university students leave before finishing their degree. They cannot pay the high tuition fees that the Government has established. Furthermore, there is no job to obtain financial support. To solve this issue, the Government should reduce the price of the tuition fees and make a proper distribution of scholarships because sometimes the Government gives money to people that do not need it. These changes could help many students to continue studying and find a good job to pay for their studies.

Application Letter

Mrs. ...
(School Name)
58, Cardigan Street
Oxford p56 23B

C/ Calderon de la Barca, 29
03201... Continue reading "Educational Challenges in Spain and a Job Application" »

The Cold War: A Summary

The Cold War was a long period of tension between the democracies of the Western World and the communist countries of Eastern Europe. The West was led by the United States, and Eastern Europe was led by the Soviet Union. These two countries became known as superpowers. Although the two superpowers never officially declared war on each other, they fought indirectly in proxy wars, the arms race, and the space race.

Key Events and Turning Points

The Yalta Conference

At Yalta, the future of Poland was discussed. Stalin wanted control of Poland, but the U.S. and U.K. were strongly against it. Britain pointed out that they had entered the war in defense of Poland and could not accept anything but free elections in an independent... Continue reading "Cold War: US-Soviet Tensions & Proxy Conflicts" »